Best Content Management Software (CMS) Systems 2023

Not all content management software systems are created equally, but they all do essentially the same thing: make it easier for you to build and manage a website with various types of content and data. Choosing the right CMS for you comes down to cost, customization, ease of use, security and how much hands-on management you want to perform on your CMS and website.

Consider your budget when you’re picking a CMS. Many are open-source and, therefore, free to use, but you’re still going to have a monthly or annual cost associated with hosting, templates, site creation and extensions. There are all-in-one solutions that are affordable, which include hosting, templates and an app marketplace with free and paid-for plugins to extend functionality. You can also find user-friendly open-source CMS systems with lots of built-in functionality and free templates. Generally, the more affordable an option is, the less freedom you’ll have with source code and customization.

When it comes to customization, you’re going to find a lot more freedom in open-source software that gives you access to everything in the back- and front-end areas. The limitations here come down to whether you want to manage everything yourself or hire someone to develop and manage content for you.

And that brings us to ease of use. You need to know how much hands-on attention you want to give to your site and what you’re able to do. Not everyone knows how to code and some CMS systems can be overwhelming with all the options and all the power. Content management software gets regular core updates to keep them secure, and you may want to choose one that’s a little more hands-off with automatic updates and a host or all-in-one site builder that handles updates for you, especially as it relates to security.

Security is a very important part of choosing a CMS for your site or business. You need to prevent hackers from finding vulnerabilities in your site to keep your customers and your data safe. While all CMS systems include security features, some are more stacked than others with MFA, granular user permission settings and more frequent updates to the core software.